Labour law violation bosses to go on 'blacklist'
By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-24 06:52

GUANGZHOU: The southern Chinese province of Guangdong will implement a special system to disclose those employers who violate labour laws starting next month, sources with the provincial labour and social security authority said.

"The move aims to better protect the rights of employees, and better supervise employers' implementation of labour laws," Sun Qingqi, vice-director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Labour and Social Security, said in an interview with China Daily on Friday.

On Wednesday, the department disclosed a total of 20 employers who had failed to pay wages and purchase social insurance for their workers.

Foshan-based Nanhai Shangyi Shoe Co Ltd for example, was found to have failed to pay due wages worth 4.8 million yuan (US$592,000) to 1,700 workers.

In another case, the Shaoguan-based Xinsanlian Textile Co Ltd was found not to have bought social insurance worth about 18 million yuan (US$2.2 million) for its employees.

The "blacklist" identifies some foreign-funded companies, private firms and State-owned enterprises, of which 14 are based in the Pearl River Delta area.

They were also found to be forcing overtime work and employing child labourers, Sun said.

According to Sun, any employers, when found violating labour laws, will be shamed through the media, the Internet and some public work institutions.

"The exposure system is designed to force employers to adhere to labour laws," Sun said.

Guangdong is the first province in the nation to attach importance to protecting workers' rights by implementing such a system.

Guangdong, a Chinese economic powerhouse, has received thousands of migrant workers from other regions and provinces in the last two decades.

At present, the registered number of migrant workers in Guangdong is 21.3 million.

Many migrant workers have always had to wait for their wages, or have been forced to work for more than 10 hours a day, due to the lack of legal support.

In 2003, unpaid wages for migrant workers in the province accounted for 40 per cent of the country's total, official statistics show.

According to Sun, his department will also work together with other governmental institutions to draft a series of measures, including opening special bank accounts for migrant workers to ensure wages are paid on time.

(China Daily 09/24/2005 page2)

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